Is Lobotomy really bad?

What do you think of this card:

Lobotomy, Action Modifier, Vicissitude
Only usable when recruiting an ally.
[vic] If the action is successful, put this card on the ally and tap the ally. Actions that require Dominate or Presence do not affect this ally. This ally has -1 bleed and cannot use maneuvers.
[VIC] As above, but the ally is not tapped.

With that many Entrancements and Far Masteries around that card strikes me as useful (if not very useful). There are some midcap Tzimisce with VIC available, so that the disadvantages of the card are not that evil. I play Trap in those decks anyway instead of Fake Out and War Ghouls have a default bleed of 0. So why not adding 6 Lobotomies to a 60-card-Warghoulator? Am I missing some clues )?

Disclaimer: I have no experience playing a War Ghoul deck.

Adding Lobotomy to Speed Ghoul changes the card ratios and could slow down the deck. You really want to see Jake Washington and War Ghoul as soon as possible. Hopefully if the deck is running well you can smash anyone with DOM or PRE before they become a threat.

Therefore, adding Lobotomy is a calculated risk that should only be taken when Far Mastery and Entrancement are common in your metagame. Even so, I am certain that 6 is far too many for a 60-card speed ghoul deck.

Would I bother playing Lobotomy?
Not really, even in a Warghoul deck there is still a major opportunity issue with having the Warghoul & Lobotomy in hand.

I'm more in the camp of beating the living crap out of anybody who attempts to steal a Warghoul (probably going to be your Predator or a Quick-Ousting Crosstable).

Joscha wrote:

What do you think of this card:

Lobotomy,

I have a couple in a thin Guadaedo Ghoul deck that does pretty well--it strikes me as completely reasonable, in theory, and I'm always happy to play one when it is in my hand at the right time. Having a Lobotomized Warghoul has no downsides, really--as you note, they don't bleed anyway, and if you are using presses instead of Fake Out, the no maneuvers isn't a problem.

It is certainly arguable that you'd be better off with just all those Lobotomies replaced with Direct Interventions (so as to just cancel all the Entrancements), but really, that can be said about *any* targeted defense card. I mean, as ally defense goes, it is free, you just play it when you get the Warghoul, and is nice and passive. I don't know that having 10 of them is a great idea, but having a couple seems completely reasonable, for my money.

Normally, Bad Card + Bad Card != Good Effect, but Lobotomy does have some interesting synergy with Caiaphas Smith. In that case, you *want* to play it at inferior to tap him, in order to ensure that you get to keep him next turn.

Caiaphas cannot bleed, so the -1 bleed is meaningless. He does lose his maneuver but it is unlikely that he'll get blocked (and if he does, use Change of Target). Then include a bunch of actions he can take like Arson or New Management?

Still not a great combo, but it would be amusing.

When I put together my first Warghoul deck recently I wanted to include Lobotomy, but since maneuver is kinda important to it I decided to go for Orb of Ulain and True Faith instead.

Yup, True Faith is horrenduously expensive when played for non-mortal Ally (1+2 pool) but it being a Master it doesn't eat up an action like equipping with the Orb. I eagerly await the time such Warghoul made of pastors and priests runs across some Baalis...